Held by Home
Annie Marshall
Bachelor of Design (Architecture) Deakin University
“Belonging is carried in the melodies of the land, a shared song that echoes identity, connection, and the unbroken relationship between nature and self.”
MATERIALS: timber (untreated) + recycled aluminium
Artist Statement
Home is an echo of the land—felt in the wind through trees, the warmth of sunlit earth, and the familiar call of birds at dawn. It is not walls but a connection to Country, a belonging carried within.
For me, home is woven into the daily song of the magpie. Their calls greet the morning on our family farm, an unspoken recognition of place and presence. Magpies do not migrate; they return to the same trees, learning who belongs. Their knowing is reciprocal, a quiet acknowledgment of coexistence.
The magpie’s song becomes a thread binding place and time, marking the rhythm of daily life. Home is not static but an evolving relationship—between past and present, movement and return. Just as the magpie’s call lingers in the air, home is something carried with us, shaped by land, memory, and the lives intertwined within it.
Synopsis
Held By Home explores home as an evolving relationship between memory, movement, and landscape. Suspended with a recycled metal plant hanger, the bird form—crafted from layered wooden circles—embodies the fragmented yet continuous nature of memory. Each circle represents a moment in time, layered to form a whole, just as home is shaped by lived experiences. From one angle, the shape is clear; from another, it dissolves into abstraction, reflecting how home is both familiar and ever-changing.
The bird appears to hover above a gum tree stump, bridging the built and natural worlds. The hanger, once discarded, finds new purpose in holding the magpie aloft—much like home is continually reshaped through adaptation. It speaks to the structural interventions that shape our environments while allowing the bird to remain in flux. The wooden base, marked by circular growth rings, reflects deep time, reminding us that belonging is not immediate but accumulates across generations. Each layer represents a chapter of life—moments, places, and connections that, when viewed together, shape a whole. The wood itself comes from fallen gum trees on Wathaurong Country, brought down by storms and harsh gale winds in Victoria. Their removal was necessary for fire safety, yet their presence in this piece speaks to resilience and renewal.
For me, the magpie represents a profound reciprocity between people and place. On our family farm, their presence is constant—they know us, unafraid, weaving their lives into ours. The magpie thrives across both urban and rural landscapes, navigating built and natural worlds with ease. Likewise, this artifact balances organic and constructed elements, inviting visitors to shift their perspective.
By spinning the bird shape, the viewer blurs the boundary between stillness and movement—just as home is both an anchor and a journey. This artifact invites reflection on home as an active, living bond—not merely a place, but a continuous dialogue between self, time, and landscape.
